"It was not [fitting] for the people of Medina and those around them of the Bedouin—such as Muzaynah, Juhaynah, Ashja', Ghifar, Aslam, and their likes—to remain behind the Messenger of Allah when he, upon him be prayer and peace, set out for military campaigns, nor to prefer their own selves over his self."
That is, they should not divert their souls from his noble self, nor preserve them from that from which he did not preserve his own; rather, they should endure the hardships he endures. The original meaning is: they should not hold their selves in higher regard than his self by disliking for themselves the hardships while not disliking them for him, peace be upon him. Instead, they must reverse the matter. To this, the words of al-Wahidi point, as he said: "It is said, 'I preferred my soul over this matter,' meaning I held myself above it." In al-Nihayah, it is said: "I preferred such-and-such a person over this matter," meaning I disliked that affair for him.
It is permitted for yarghabu (to prefer) to be in the accusative case (nasb), coordinated with yatakhallafu (to remain behind), which is made accusative by an, with the repetition of la (nor) to remind and emphasize the negation. This is the most apparent reading. It is also permitted to be in the jussive (jazm) as a prohibition, which is the intended meaning of the speech, though it is expressed in the form of negation for emphasis. He specifically mentioned the people of Medina due to their proximity to him, upon him be prayer and peace, and their knowledge of his departure. The apparent meaning of the verse is the obligation of mobilization (nafir) when the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, goes out to fight in person.
Some have stated that this is used as evidence that Jihad was an individual obligation (fard 'ayn) during his lifetime, upon him be prayer and peace. Ibn Battal held this view, reasoning that they had pledged allegiance to him, upon him be prayer and peace; thus, mobilization is not mandatory with any of the Caliphs unless the enemy descends upon them and cannot be repelled without it. Some interpreted an implied addition in the verse: "to remain behind the command of the Messenger of Allah," but this is contrary to the apparent meaning, and according to it, the ruling would be general, a matter which is subject to scholarly debate.
Ibn Jarir and others narrated from Ibn Zayd that the ruling of this verse applied when Islam was small in number. When it became widespread and numerous, Allah the Exalted said: "And it is not for the believers to go forth [all] at once." You know that Islam was widespread at the time of the revelation of this Surah. It is not hidden that the verse contains an insinuation against those who stayed behind out of a desire for pleasures and an inclination toward lusts, indifferent to what he, upon him be prayer and peace, was enduring. A group did indeed stay behind him, peace and blessing be upon him, as you have learned. It is reported that some people among the Muslims stayed behind, then some of them regretted it and loathed their position, so they caught up with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, not caring for the hardships. Such was Abu Khaythamah; it is reported that he reached his garden—and he had a beautiful wife—and she had spread a mattress for him in the shade and set out dates and cold water. He looked and said: "Shady shade, ripe dates, cold water, and a beautiful wife, while the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is in the sun and wind? This is not a good state." He saddled his camel, took his sword and spear, and passed like the wind. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, cast his gaze toward the road and saw a rider being shielded by the mirage. He said, "Be Abu Khaythamah." And it was him, and the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, rejoiced for him and sought forgiveness for him.
"That" is a reference to what the speech indicates regarding the necessity of accompanying him. "Because they" means, due to the fact that "they are not afflicted by thirst" (any degree of thirst—it is recited with madd [long vowel] and qasr [short vowel]), "nor fatigue" (nor any weariness), "nor hunger" (nor any starvation) "in the path of Allah" (in the Jihad against His enemies or in His obedience, may He be glorified, in general), "nor do they tread any ground that enrages the disbelievers" (that angers them and constricts their chests). Wat' (treading) is to trample with feet and the like, such as the hooves of horses. It is sometimes interpreted as striking and fighting, as in his saying, peace be upon him: "The last treading (wat'ah) that Allah trod was at Wajj." Mawti' is any place, according to the most famous and evident view. The subject of "enrages" is its pronoun, with an implied addition, meaning "his treading enrages them," for the place itself does not enrage. It is also possible that it is a pronoun returning to the wat' (treading) implied within the sentence. If mawti' is treated as a verbal noun (like mawrid), the matter is clear.
"Nor do they attain from an enemy any attainment" (i.e., taking; it is a verbal noun like killing and capturing, and the verb is nala-yanilu; it is also said nala-yanulu, so naylan is originally nawlan, and the waw was changed to ya contrary to rule). It is also permissible for it to mean "that which is attained," making it an object of "they attain," meaning they do not attain anything. "But that it is inscribed for them by it" (that is, by the aforementioned, which is all that preceded; hence the pronoun is singular). It is also permissible that it returns to each of these individually as an alternative. Al-Nasafi said: "He unified the pronoun because when 'nor' was repeated, each one became, as an alternative, singular in mention and intended for the promise." This is why our jurists said: "If a person swears, 'I will not eat bread nor meat,' he breaks his oath by eating one of them. If he swears, 'I will not eat meat and bread,' he does not break it except by combining them." The sentence is in the position of an accusative state (hal) from "thirst" and what is coordinated with it; meaning: they are not afflicted with thirst, nor such and such, but that it is inscribed for them by it "a righteous deed"—that is, the reward for that. Thus, the speech contains an implied addition, or it may be treated as a metonymy for the reward, and it is interpreted as such because that is the intent of the inscription of deeds. The tanwin (indefinite marking) is for magnification. The meaning is that they deserve this, a necessary deserving by the requirement of His promise, the Exalted, not by obligation upon Him, may He be glorified.
The verse is used as evidence that whoever intends a good deed, his effort in it is appreciated—whether through standing, sitting, walking, speaking, and so on. Also, that the reinforcements participate in the spoils after the war has concluded, because treading their lands is something that enrages them. The Prophet, peace be upon him, allotted shares to the two sons of Amir, even though they arrived after some of the war had passed. It is also used as evidence for what al-Jalal al-Suyuti attributed to Abu Hanifah, may Allah be pleased with him, regarding the permissibility of sexual relations with the women of the people of war in the House of War.
"Indeed, Allah does not allow to be lost the reward of the doers of good" regarding their excellence. The sentence is in the position of providing the rationale (ta'lil) for the inscription. Those intended by "the doers of good" are either those being discussed—where the explicit noun is put in place of the pronoun to praise them, to testify to their inclusion in the ranks of the doers of good, and to signal the causality of the rationale for the ruling—or it refers to the category of doers of good, and they are included in it primarily.
